When Gladion said they would be busy late down the line, he failed to mention that busy translated to sleepless nights and much longer hours with each other.

"So according to you, Mister Wedding Planner," Moon begins, her eyes glancing down at the clipboard in hand, her lips reciting something about their to-do list for Lillie, the wedding he asked her to attend for decoration ideas, and the invitation list Lillie and Hau had finally settled on-

5 months were left.

Moon continued reading off her list, to re-confirm she wasn't missing anything, to make sure she wouldn't mess up, to establish her due diligence-

7 months had passed.

And as Gladion listened his whole being continued to be filled with dread. Every moment they had spent together for the past half year had finally given him his answer. His curiosity over her? Why he felt inclined to spend much more time with her? The cause and effect mystery that somehow looped him into stolen glances, and forgotten words around her?

Yeah. He possibly and potentially, had a probable cause to assume that he may have begun harboring feelings for Moon.

He blamed the fitting.

How Moon looked, how she carried herself. How he noticed how carefree and vibrant she was in a crowd. How her face expressed every thought and emotion she was capable of. How her voice seemed to call everyone's attention-especially his. And when the two were stuck for hours working on logistics for Lillie he got to see sides of her he never knew he needed. From how she calm she looked when she was focused, her hair cascading like a curtain around her face, to how cute she looked when she was nodding off, her chin propped up in the palm of her hand to no avail.

Gladion had gotten used to Moon, her presence, her reactions.

And right now as his height looms over her with his hand outreached asking for the clipboard, he was able to see his favorite reaction of all. How quickly she was to stammer, to look away, to blush underneath his gaze. The pink in her cheeks complimenting the splay of freckles that always were too quick to disappear, her head dipping immediately-his own heart pounding recklessly.

This was Moon.

Moon who had ruined countless weddings.

"Gladion,"

Moon who had been working hard to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

"Gladion..."

Moon who infiltrated his thoughts, his h-

"Gladion!"

His eyes blink, he was mid page turn, his focus returning, Moon standing across the way, her glossed lips now pouting as she quickly rolls her eyes.

He was supposed to be the professional here.

"Am I good to go?"

And instead he was acting like someone who had never had a crush before; looking at Moon as if he was in a daze, her brow quirking in curiosity-a different kind from his no doubt.

"Yeah, you're good," he responds with a furrowed brow, his eyes scanning the pages before him. It was almost a shame Moon was only a makeshift assistant-everything on the sheet was impeccable.

"I'll see you tomorrow at wedding then," he hears her call out, the door soon clicking, his resolve trying to get a grip back on reality as a hand rubs across his face in agitation.

This wasn't supposed to be happening.

What was supposed to be happening, however was the perfect wedding at hand.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, the reception with no hiccups. And in all of Gladion's years even he was surprised to see how smoothly everything ran.

Maybe it was the fact that he had reverted to how planning used to be without Lillie, or maybe it was because of Moon, her assistance actually coming handy when it came to handling people-his least favorite part of weddings. But as the bartender announces his final call, the reception nearing its end, he finds himself watching everything from afar. Guests were starting to swipe the flowers, the trinkets, the decor. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were starting to leave in pairs. The newlyweds were one of the the last few on the floor dancing.

He felt a warmth overcome him- self-satisfaction, pride, whatever the emotion it definitely wasn't because of alcoholic liquid he was taking in slowly this time.

But as he takes another sip he's reminded as to why he was staring out onto the floor.

Moon was nowhere to be seen-until suddenly she made herself apparent with an all too familiar sigh from across the way.

"Oh Arceus not this again."

Moon carefully eyeing him as he leans against the bar, glass in hand, his focus being pulled towards her as she comes closer. Her dress flows, her hair bounces, he swears her freckles dance. "Please tell me you're not drunk," Moon begs cheekily with a smile that nearly made him want to chug his current glass to drown out the loud palpitations in his chest. Luckily for him the music was loud enough to cover the sound.

So instead Gladion calmly scoffs at her concern; what happened last time seemingly left a lasting impact on her for some reason, but he let bygones be bygones. "I'm not drunk," Gladion announces, Moon's eyebrow quirking as she her head peers behind him-no other glasses in sight. "I just figured a break was deserved."

The expression on Moon's face was priceless, an airy laugh leaving her lips that he couldn't help but to quickly gaze at, her eyes reflecting the ambient lighting of the reception hall. "You? A break? Either Alola must be freezing over..." she smirks, "or you just did a really good job at this wedding."

The second statement was a mere whisper as she walks towards him, her own drink in hand. The flowy fabric of her dress brushing against his hand as she takes a spot next to him, the turn of her head wafting a familiar sweet scent...floral...strawberry?

He couldn't decipher it before he sees her smiling widely at him, her glass lifted towards him-a celebration of his accomplishments.

"To smooth weddings?"

Their clinking glasses a call to their successful collaboration.

"Cheers."

The sip, a heavy silence in a loud room to regather their thoughts, to calm their racing hearts.

"You know Moon I've been curious," Gladion speaks up, his murmur instantly causing Moon to look at him with her sparkling gray eyes.

"About?" Moon asks with a quick turn of her head, her lips hovering on her champagne flute taking another sip as she waits for him to respo-

"You-"

Bad timing, Moon spits out her drink, sputtering out coughs as she places her drink down. And as she pats her chest in an attempt to calm down, she half expects Gladion to respond negatively-to groan, to scoff, to do anything typical to him, but instead all she sees is speechless amusement as his head comes up from staring at his suit, his hands instinctively reaching around Moon towards the bar-towards the napkin dispenser specifically-but around her nonetheless.

"I'm so sorry," Moon chokes out, her mind trying to not hyperfocus on how his arm brushed against hers on its way to its destination. Her own hands fumbling with her own napkin as she tries to pat Gladion dry- tries to not focus on how close they were standing, or how her back was now firmly against the counter of the now closed bar.

"I'm amazed your clumsiness hasn't destroyed one of my weddings yet," he jokes, the chuckle following suit sending chills down Moon's spine as she continues to stare into his chest.

Realization striking that if she was too look up their faces would be all too close.

"My clumsiness may have ruined your suit though," she languishes with a sigh, her napkin now soaked with the champagne, his suit still damp. "And here I was about to tease you about your behavior."

"Well seems like we're even now then," he murmurs simply, with no disdain laced within as his own hands trying their best at the task. She finds her hands pausing, her teeth biting the inside of her cheek. She wasn't sure if they were entirely even, but Gladion still had no clue what happened that night-or any clue what he did to her.

And that's when Moon makes her most fatal mistake.

She looks up.

"It's almost as if you can't keep your hands off of me, huh Moon?"

And Moon swears she could die.

Her hands leap off his chest, but her body had nowhere to go now physically stuck between Gladion and the bar. She sees his lips pull into a knowing smirk- a sight that once used to cause annoyance now only made her cheeks heat up and her heart race so fast that death actually seemed like the most favorable escape.

But then she notes how his emerald gaze hadn't left hers. How his eyes had flecks of gold and how long his eyelashes really were with shades of brown and blonde interlaced within, how they kept glancing at her lips.

"Your suit is just really nice...quality," she lamely retorts, her face dipping down, but the scoff as loud as ever. He didn't buy it-but Arceus was he going to run with it if her reactions would continue to be this way.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're the intoxicated one using an excuse like that."

And that's enough to bring back Moon's sass, her eyes rolling in response, the pink on her cheeks much more visible as her face turns back. "Puh-lease, unlike someone here," her eyes looking him up and down, "I can say I'm a little more classy than trashy."

"Are you calling me trashy?"

A noncommittal noise escapes Moon, her own coy smile appearing in retrospect, her free hand patting Gladion's cheek condescendingly when she feels his own hand grab her wrist gently. And soon words really were lost. Memories of the night flooding Moon's head, her eyes flicking to his lips (he noticed), and their forgotten single glasses behind them proved that alcohol could not be to blame today as his face comes closer to hers.

"Didn't you say once you've never had a kiss?" Gladion teases, Moon stiffening up at the detail he seemed to remember all too clearly.

"Y-yeah, well, not everything has a plan you know?" Moon says bitterly, her head looking away as she swallows down a moment she wanted to relive too often.

She wasn't supposed to like Gladion.

"Haven't you ever been curious?"

And Gladion definitely didn't like her.

Moon purses her lips in response, and when he lets out a low laugh she could hear the smugness in it. All her silence did was condemn her to confirm his assumption. But right when she thinks his teasing is over Moon feels his fingers gently grab ahold her chin, softly encouraging her to look back at him, the space between them almost nonexistent as he comes closer.

"We can arrange this you know?," she could feel his breath against her lips-"for curiosities sakes."

But if he did like her...

"Curiosity killed the cat, Gladion," Moon whispers, her heart pleading for one thing, her sense yelling for another. He clearly was just teasing.

"But satisfaction brought it back."

Then maybe something like this would be okay.

And right when Moon closes her eyes and swears Gladion could've placed his lips on hers, the lights in the hall turn on. "We're about to start cleanup!" the crew announces. Moon squeaks, Gladion lets go, and both of them stare at each other acknowledging what had almost happened.

Rationale be damned, they both had fallen.